The present invention relates to an input apparatus for 3-dimensional operations used for operating GUIs (Graphical User Interfaces), a control apparatus for controlling the GUIs in accordance with operational information, a control system including those apparatuses, a control method, and a handheld apparatus.
Pointing devices, particularly a mouse and a touchpad, are used as controllers for GUIs widely used in PCs (Personal Computers). Not just as HIs (Human Interfaces) of PCs of the related art, the GUIs are now starting to be used as interfaces for AV equipment and game machines used in living rooms etc. with televisions as image media. Various pointing devices that a user is capable of operating 3-dimensionally are proposed as controllers for the GUIs of this type (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).
Patent Document 1 discloses an input apparatus including angular velocity gyroscopes of two axes, that is, two angular velocity sensors. Each angular velocity sensor is a vibration-type angular velocity sensor. For example, upon application of an angular velocity with respect to a vibrating body piezoelectrically vibrating at a resonance frequency, Coriolis force is generated in a direction orthogonal to a vibration direction of the vibrating body. The Coriolis force is in proportion to the angular velocity, so detection of the Coriolis force leads to detection of the angular velocity. The input apparatus of Patent Document 1 detects angular velocities about two orthogonal axes by the angular velocity sensors, generates, in accordance with the angular velocities, a command signal as positional information of a cursor or the like displayed by a display means, and transmits it to the control apparatus.
Incidentally, such pointing devices are generally provided with, in addition to detection of a positional change by various sensors, a command input key mainly typified by left and right buttons or a wheel button of a mouse. When issuing some kind of a command to an icon as an operation target, a user operates the pointing device to place a pointer on an arbitrary icon and presses the command input key. However, there are cases where the pointing device itself is moved by an operation caused when pressing the command input key, and the pointer is consequently moved according to the pointing device. As a result, there arises a problem that operations unintended by the user are made, such as the pointer is moved from the icon as the operation target and a command cannot be issued, or, though intended for a click operation, by the pointer moving while the user is pressing the button, a drag operation is made.
To solve the problems as described above, Patent Document 2 discloses processing in which, while an enter operation is being made by the pointing device (remote commander), that is, while the button is pressed, the pointer is not moved. However, there is a problem that although the PC processes the operation as the drag operation if an enter operation signal is generated for more than a predetermined time period, if operations of the pointer are stopped during the entire time period during which an enter code is input, the PC cannot carry out the drag operation on the contrary. For solving this problem, Patent Document 2 also discloses processing in which a predetermined time period is counted from a point when enter information is input, and a display output of the pointer is stopped only during that time period.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-56743 (paragraphs (0030) and (0031), FIG. 3)    Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent No. 3,264,291 (paragraphs (0062) and (0063))